Buzz
John G. Lee launches new jazz label
Bassist John G. Lee has co-founded a record label dedicated to jazz, Jazz Legacy Productions. The label will be celebrating jazz with the release of four albums: Cyrus Chestnut’s Spirit, Heath Brothers’ Endurance, Steve Davis’ Eloquence and Sharel Cassity’s Relentless. Cassity is a new-comer among the other veteran musicians, a trend that is by design of JLP records. They plan...
Ian Enderson: Bass exercise in G minor
Bassist Ian Enderson submitted this video to our Youtube group, and we were glad he did. Check it Ian’s tone on this excercise, and we think you’ll agree: Do you have a video you’d like to share? Send it our way.
Wesfest 4 raises $21,000 for Wes Wehmiller Scholarship at Berklee
The fourth annual Wesfest benefit concert took place at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles in February, raising a record $21,000 for the Wes Wehmiller Endowed Scholarship Fund at Berklee College of Music. The event was established in 2006 by Wes’ family and friends, honoring the legacy of Wehmiller, a Berklee graduate and accomplished bassist who died of thyroid cancer...
NAMM Watch: Fender’s product highlights
Fender Musical Instruments is presenting a wide range of basses and bass gear at the Summer NAMM show. Basses Geddy Lee Jazz Bass Standard Jazz Bass V Bass Accessories Sub-Lime Bass Fuzz Pedal Bass Amps 115 Pro Cabinet Bassman TV Ten Bassman TV Twelve Bassman TV 15 Bassman TV Duo Ten For more information, visit Fender.com.
Twiggy Ramirez Interview
Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez (Geordie White) was recently interview by France’s NRV TV. You can see the full video interview here. Ramirez talks about the bands newest album, The High End of Low, and what went into its making and his return to Marilyn Manson. He mentions the more “organic” direction the band took in this album, recording it...
D’arcy (Ex-Smashing Pumpkins) on air interview
Ex-Smashing Pumpkins bassist D’arcy Wretzky randomly dialed in to Q101 in Chicago. The “unprompted and unplanned” phone conversation between D’arcy and DJ Ryan Manno can be heard unedited on Manno’s blog. D’arcy left the Smashing Pumpkins 10 years ago and has not done many interviews since. When Manno asked “What are you doing with your life?” she talked about living...
New Release from Modest Mouse: No One’s First, and You’re Next
Modest Mouse is releasing a new album No One’s First, and You’re Next available on August 4th. The band includes singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy, and has gained a strong following in the music scene since their formation in 1993 from outside Seattle. The track list for No One’s First, and You’re Next includes: 1....
Rotosound’s Nexus coated bass strings now available
Nexus, the new coated bass strings from Rotosound, are now available worldwide. The bass strings have a black polymer coat set over a Type 52 pure nickel alloy wrap and are available in two gauges: 40, 60, 80 and 100, and 45, 65, 85 and 105. A single Low B (130) is available for 5-string basses. For acoustic players, the...
Interview with Offspring bassist Greg Kriesel
Offspring bassist Greg Kriesel a.k.a. Greg K discussed the band’s new album, to be released next year, in a recent interview with the Daily Gazette. The new album is still in the initial stages. “We want to get this album out a lot earlier,” K. said. “We’ve always kind of said that, that we want to get it out earlier,...
Chris Wyse on Owl and music education
Upright bassist and singer Chris Wyse (The Cult), is taking off with his new project, Owl. The band is currently on tour. Wyse is still touring with The Cult on their Love Live Tour. Despite the chaotic schedule of being in two touring bands Wyse is excited about his work: “Sometimes I’m pulling my hair out, but I try not...
Gear Watch: AmpliTube Fender
IK Multimedia and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation have announced the release of AmpliTube Fender version 1.1, a free downloadable update for all registered users of AmpliTube Fender and available for purchase by new users. AmpliTube Fender is a guitar/bass effects suite that allows you to get real Fender sounds into your computer for recording. So what’s new in version 1.1?...
Melissa Auf der Maur recovering from swine flu
Former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur says she is on recovering from an infection with H1N1 influenza strain, better known as swine flu. “It turns out that, somewhere between a video shoot in Vermont, a heavy metal concert in London, and my own musical showcase in Toronto, I had indeed fallen victim to a world pandemic…...